Mike Honda: “it's interesting that folks would be making judgment about what I consider an educational facility. I am a science…”

“it's interesting that folks would be making judgment about what I consider an educational facility. I am a science teacher and a good one. I was a student. I grew up in south Chicago where there were other facilities like the Museum of Science & Industry and the Museum of Natural History, without which, as a youngster, I might have gotten more in trouble if I weren't interested in those facilities. It provided me a place to learn in a very casual way, but it was imprinted in me for my life. The Exploratorium, I went there as a student when I was in grade school, and I remember all the experiences I had there. And as a science teacher, I took my classes there. $300,000 is a very small investment for a facility like this. And by the way, I thought that we were always supportive of public/ private ventures, and this is one of them. This Exploratorium is not a private facility either. It's open to the public for anyone who wishes to visit it and learn from it. Why, even people from Arizona can come and enjoy the kind of instruction that's in there. For me, it was life- long learning as a science teacher. It was a great facility to engage my students and expand their thinking. And so I think that this is a wonderful investment. And in the words of people from Silicon Valley, ``return on investment is what you get.``”